Stephen Rea

Stephen Rea
Rea at JDIFF 2012
Born (1946-10-31) October 31, 1946 (age 78)
Belfast, Northern Ireland
Education
OccupationActor
Years active1962–present
Spouse
(m. 1983; div. 2003)
Children2

Stephen Rea (/ˈr/ ray; born 31 October 1946)[1] is an Irish actor of stage and screen.[2] Born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, he began his career as a member of Dublin's Focus Theatre, and came to the attention of film audiences as one of the close collaborators of director Neil Jordan. He is an Academy Award, Golden Globe Award and Tony Award nominee, a two-time BAFTA Award winner, and a three-time Irish Film and Television (IFTA) Award winner.

Rea was nominated for an Oscar and a BAFTA Award for his performance in Jordan's thriller The Crying Game (1992). He also starred in Jordan's films Interview with the Vampire (1994), Michael Collins (1996), The End of the Affair (1999), Breakfast on Pluto (2005), and Greta (2018).

He played starring roles in the Hugo Blick TV series The Shadow Line and The Honourable Woman, for which he won a BAFTA. As a stage actor, he is known for his performances at The Gate and Abbey theatres in Dublin, and the Royal Court Theatre in London. He is a co-founder of the Field Day Theatre Company with Brian Friel.

In 2020, The Irish Times ranked Rea the 13th greatest Irish film actor of all time.[3]

  1. ^ "P". June 2021.
  2. ^ "Stephenrea.net - Intro". www.stephenrea.net. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
  3. ^ "The 50 greatest Irish film actors of all time – in order". The Irish Times. Retrieved 25 November 2023.